An Ambitious Endeavor
by Dragonlover24186
Summary: A young girl wishes to fulfill her wish to follow in her father's footsteps and be a warrior of the state.


Rika Kuzuyaki, a teenage ninja in training, meandered into the dojo for another lesson. Her sensei was meditating on the steps with a sword on his lap. He noticed the young girl in the dojo and stood up slowly, unsheathing his sword. Rika grabbed her katana and ran at the man, who blocked his strike with the sword. Rika ducked and hit er sensei in the stomach with the hilt of er sword. The old man was pushed back, sliding across the floor. She grabbed shuriken from her back pocket and threw them at the man. The sensei reflected them easily and ran back towards the girl. He struck at her, barely skimming her arm as she jumped back and lost her katana. She brought her hands to the floor as her legs glided over her into a crouch. She jumped at the wall and propelled herself off of it and caught the man with a kunai on his neck. She thought that she had beaten him, but he appeared behind her as the one she caught poofed into a cloud of smoke.

"That was not half bad Rika", the man said retrieving her katana for her.

"I wasn't trying my hardest, that is why I lost"

"Don't just say that to try to elevate yourself, in your mind you know the true outcome"

She said nothing, just gazed out of the window to the ocean.

"If you do believe that you can beat me, you can try again tomorrow"

"Do you mind if we go full out next time, possibly outside?"

"Having the elements around us for ninjutsu? If you wish it, then I'll oblige"

She grabbed her katana and threw open the door. She walked down the path, filled with blooming sakura trees, down to a small settlement. Rika reached for the keys in her pocket and slipped it into the door. She pried it open and set herself on the couch. There was a knocking at her door. She sight, got up off the couch and proceeded to open the door. She seemed quite surprised at who was at her door, she gave him a faint smile. It was her boyfriend, Kaisei, the only son of one of the neighboring families. His parents were no longer with the village, just like Rika's.

"Kaisei, I did not expect to see you so soon"

"Well I couldn't stay away from you long. How have you been?"

"Good, I have been doing good, training everyday with Sensei and challenging him almost everyday"

"I'm guessing you haven't won yet?"  
"No, it is not from lack of trying either. I just am not connecting with the kami"

"Kami, the spirits of the world around us, which are you having troubles with"

"It is not that I have a problem it is just...I cannot harness their energy when I am indoors"

"So fight outside", Kaisei said, slipping his arm around her.

"I might tomorrow"

They proceeded to talk about the week long training trip Kaisei had just gone on.

"Why don't we go spar outside, no ninjutsu, it'll help you for tomorrow"  
He opened the door and held it for her as she walked out to a nearby field. It was spring, so the trees around them were in full bloom, a wonderfully brilliant pink. They both got into a fighting stance, one foot in front of the other with your hands mimicking the motion. They spared like this all the time, just a friendly tussle. Kaisei was the first to start, darting his fist at Rika. Rika caught Kaisei's fist as it shot at her face and twisted it. Kaisei's other fist went out, diverting Rika's attention enough to release the other, as he blocked and countered with his own sound of the wind generated by their movements buzzed in Kaisei's ears as he increased his speed and tried to attack Rika from behind. The counter came sharply, and Kaisei barely had time to flip back and launch himself several feet away from Rika. The dirt and grass stung against his knees and hand as he slid himself to a stop. He glanced left then right at the trees beside them and shot towards the left. Once his hands had the trunk, he swung his body up and pushed himself with his feet off the tree and at Rika again. Rika caught Kaisei's heel with her arms. In that second Kaisei took to recover, Rika swung her hip and slammed her leg into Kaisei's side. Kaisei didn't make a sound, flew back, caught himself with his hands, and then dove back by her, pinning her arms onto the ground.

"I do believe I won"

"Only because we couldn't use ninjutsu!", she said pulling herself up off the ground.

"That's exactly why I said that, your ninjutsu is a killer", he said sitting on the grassy field. "Do you want to go and get something to eat?"

"Sure I am kind of hungry"

"Good, I brought lunch", he stated as he pulled out a picnic basket from behind a tree. "I have your usual, one fresh squeezed lemonade, two beef dumplings no sauce, one slice of watermelon and a stick of pocky"

"Why do you know me this well, I do not even know me this well"

"I'm a ninja, I can remember a lot of things", he paused, looking up at her as she eyed the rest of the basket. "It's just some plates and things, I'm not hiding some kunai or anything"

"I know, I just thought you might have snuck something in there. Well let's eat"

They both picked up their meals and started eating, exchanging few words only between bites.

"What is planned for the rest of the day?", Rika said as she finished up her lunch.

"I honestly didn't plan that far ahead, want to just hang around here, enjoying the beautiful trees around us"

"Sure, not like I have seen them before"

"Alright, I get the sarcasm, how about we head off to the ocean then"

"That sounds much better"

They walked, hand in hand, to the beach where they stayed for the rest of the day.

Rika awoke in her bed the next morning, ready and willing to fight her sensei. She slid open the doors of her closet and started rummaging through it. She found a casual ninja outfit, a short sleeve shirt, loose fitting pants, and a kunai holster. She wrapped the bands around her leg that held a fair amount of kunai in easy accessibility in an emergency. She was about to head off, until she passed the kitchen. One of the first things her sensei taught her was that breakfast was an important part of your morning routine. She knelt down on the pillow and started the morning ritual. She meandered outside and walked over to one of the nearby trees. She placed her two hands on it and started lifting her body up and down many times. Then she threw her legs over the branch and did sit ups from it. She worked out nearly everyday before she headed off to the dojo. She threw some kunai around too, picking random targets from each of the branches or the leaves rather. She would shake each tree, and spear every green leaf right through the center, whether with a kunai or just her wind ninjutsu. After this, she would pick a shady spot under a tree, sit down with her legs crossed over each other, and meditate with the nature that surrounded her. She often sat like this for hours, sitting perfectly still as the world passed on by her. Even some small birds would go and perch on her, singing their fair songs of springtime. Today she had brought them some bread crumbs to eat, she would feed them sometimes, to keep her harmony with nature alive. The birds flew up and all around her, they sensed that she had a difficult fight ahead of her.

She got herself up and started on the road to the dojo. She slid open the door, walked inside and there, across the dojo, dyed in the day's last dying rays, stood her sensei. She ran at him and sliced his arm with her katana, he came back with a punch that sent her flying to the ground. One second her Sensei is on the floor and then the next Rika is and vice versa. Suddenly he landed a hit on Rika, kicking her right in the stomach. Rika was sent flying just like she did earlier, but this time she was thrown outside. He chased straight after her to try and get another hit. Rika soon caught on and gained her bearings and just as she did he extended a leg for a kick. Rika blocked but the force of the kick kept her in the air and he was again speeding towards her for another attack. Rika had to think quickly, she looked around and realized that at this rate she was going to be pinned against a tree, but suddenly she smirked and looked towards her Sensei again and got ready. He approached and kicked again but this time instead of blocking she took the hit. She used her wind abilities to make him go flying right off the cliff and into another section of forest. She enhanced her katana with the amazing slicing ability of the wind and took off after him. She was bringing her katana down on him, he rolled to the side, and the ground beneath them cracked jaggedly and in all directions. She placed her hands together and meditated for a second. He ran towards her, attempting to stop what she was about to do.

"Too late"

She swung her arm at him and the razor sharp air waves resonated from her and straight into him. Rika was about to let loose another vicious attack, but her sensei stopped her.

"I congratulate you, you have beaten me fair and square. I have taught you well"

"I did not think you would give up so easily"

"You probably could kill me if you so wished it, I am just doing the smart thing"

"So the student surpassed the sensei, how cliche"

"As promised, the key to the holding gate, you have earned it"

He handed her a golden key with a ruby and a coiled reptile engraved upon it. She bowed to her master and made her way back to the dojo. Past the dojo, beyond the field of grass used for training, was an enclosed room that no one was permitted to enter. She walked up to the door of such a room, placed the key in the hole, and turned it, releasing the tumblers. She pushed open the heavy door, giving light to what was living inside. A forty foot tall, pure white dragon stood before her. She smirked at the sight of the magnificent beast as her Sensei came walking up behind her.

"Are you ready for admittance?"

"I've been waiting for a long time"

He made signs with his hands and touched her shoulder. The dragon emitted a faint azure glow, as it was becoming restless. Finally, Rika reached her hand out and touched the beast, which forced it to disappear and become one with the girl. It was a custom for ninjas of age, to become a host for a demon. Each ninja would then become a full fledged warrior of the state. Her Sensei bowed to her as she walked down the path to the village. Kaisei met her on route there.

"I heard you finally did it, now you can finally join our ranks on the front line"

"I'm glad I can finally follow in my father's footsteps and defend the country he helped win independence"

"And a dragon, a very powerful demon indeed, I'm sure you'll be able to fulfill your ambition to become Empress"

"Give me a few years and I will"

She placed her hands together, as did he. Their demonic spirits became living again. They hopped on each one. The faint red glow of the sun created a silhouette of them as they flew off on the horizon.


End file.
